Luxury Swiss watch maker Urwerk is among the few top watch brands that can excite both gadget lover and traditional watch enthusiast alike. Their secret is consistently pushing forward in terms of modern design as well as technical innovation. Their new UR-210 timepiece might look like a spaceship, but is really just a gadget to tell you that it is time to get off your butt and exercise. It is nevertheless beautiful, and precision-made.

Automatic mechanical watches are wound by the rotation of a weighted rotor which is meant to move with the motion of your wrist. This motion is used to wind a mainspring. Watches with power reserve indicators like the UR-210 tell you how much power is left in the movement. Urwerk added a novel feature connected to the power reserve indicator called a winding efficiency indicator. Purely mechanical, this tool measures the amount of power you’ve generated for the watch over the last two hours. If you aren’t moving around enough (and thus not generating power), the winding efficiencyindicator goes into the red zone. If you are shaking fists all daylong you’ll be in the green zone.

Urwerk considers this new function to be a novel way for the owner to connect with their watch. Like most Urwerk timepieces, the time is told via a special satellite arm system which looks incredibly cool. It is a fantastically elaborate new timepiece with a complication you might grow to love or hate.

Well I have to say that the blue version of Tokyoflash’s new Kisai Logo watch looks pretty fetching. I think that the best part is the binary time display, which looks really cool yet cryptic.

As a bonus, the Tokyoflash Kisai Logo watch is very easy to read in its normal mode. A block indicates the hour and there are some funky numbers in the middle that represent the minutes. It’s pretty straightforward. You can toggle on the binary time display and then, watch out, because it will take anyone time to figure out how it works.

The watch features an always-on LCD that you don’t have to activate with a button, which is a very nice feature since it can get annoying with these kinds of watches. It uses a standard battery, so no USB recharging for this watch.

The body is stainless steel and it has an acetate strap. The Kisai Logo is available in black, white or blue, with a matching strap and display – and retails for $139 (USD).

heck out this awesome series of Limited Edition Seiko Star Wars watches. Unfortunately, you’ve got to be freakin’ rich to get one! Seriously, the prices for these watches range from $1739 to $1805 USD! That means I’ll never get one. Even if I had that kind of money, I don’t think I would drop that kind of cash on any watch.

The limited-edition Seiko Brightz R2-D2 watch is the geekiest of the collection, featuring a 300dpi black and white screen which can display scenes from the Star Wars films. But if you’re in the market for a more timeless design, you might want to check out one of the other watch designs, which include Darth Vader, Darth Maul and Stormtrooper models with a dramatic black band, as well as a gold-accented C-3PO and green-tinged Yoda watch. The Vader model is even embellished with tiny diamonds.

For those of you that do happen to have that kind of cash laying around, and you’re a crazy bigStar Wars fan, you can purchase one at Amazon JP. Look over the watches and let us know what your favorite one in the series is.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog to bring you a brief moment during which I will fantasize in public about having an extra $25,000 lying around so I could pre-order one of these Devon Steampunk watches.

The Devon Tread watch is arguably the most cutting edge watch made today, a timepiece of striking visuals and technology. The Tread 1 Watch features four internal 2-micron thin belts that spin within the case to display the time. It’s powered by a lithium polymer rechargeable cell that is charged by wireless induction. This electric system runs the belts that are kept in tune with an optical technology. Add that all up, and you have one of the most technically advanced, visually stunning watches ever made. The Devon Works Tread 1 Watch was designed by a California aerospace company, a group that is quite comfortable with fitting square pegs through round holes. This watch is a prime example of their technical prowess.

Operating out of California, DEVON is the only American watch company using its own proprietary movement. In late 2010, the Tread 1 was nominated for the Gran Prix d’Horlogerie de Genéve in the category of Design and Concept Watch – the first American watch brand ever to receive this laudable recognition.

In a real first for a GPS watch, Suunto has added a mapping feature to their Ambit smartwatch via a free update. The watch previously supported GPS tracking, waypoints, and training functions but this upgrade adds a live map to the mix, allowing hikers and runners to pinpoint their location on a trail or course.

From the Suunto website:

With this update, users will be able to download routes online or input their own waypoints. Out on the trails, users will be able to see their route in real time, including their start point, position and the route ahead.

Another upcoming update will add Suunto foot pod and ANT+ accessory compatibility along with improved training instruments like interval timers. It will also support “community-crafted” features uploaded by users to Suunto’s support site.

This is a real first for these sorts of watches. First, this update is wildly compelling and that it comes free, after the watch has been on the market for a few months. The watch itself is pretty cool, as evidenced by this in-depth review and it’s fascinating that it can be upgraded via software to unlock new features.

The community features are also compelling in that they allow groups of people – runners, bikers, onanists – to upload various readout settings and programs. All of this, of course, inside a package the size of a silver dollar. The watch itself is $500 and these updates will be free at Movescount.com in September.

Just in time for your own backyard Olympics comes the Nike+ Sportwatch GPS Limited Edition ($170). Arriving in a special white and gold colorway, it offers all the features of its TomTom-powered brethren, including tracking of your time, distance, pace, heart rate, calories burned, and NikeFuel, and the ability to upload your accomplishments to Nikeplus.com. If you want one, you’d best hurry — like the Olympics, the 1,900 are sure to disappear soon.

Tokyo Flash, the Japanese watchmaker with a flair for optical extravagance, has just released its newest user submitted design—the Kisai Online.

Originally submitted by Samuel Jerichow of Germany to the Tokyoflash Design Studio, the Kasai Online features an encrypted display of the current date or time in the form of continuous unbroken lines that can be broken with a flick of the wrist. The watch has a built-in accelerometer that senses the twitch and reveals the information through a falling lines animation.

The Online is available with a silver or black band and a blue, red, or natural LCD. As with all the Kisai watches, its a limited edition and will retail for $170, though you’ll be able to pick one up for $30 less for the next 48 hours at TokyoFlash.

Designer Niels Astrup’s Touch Skin Watch changes designs in response to human touch. The touch-sensitive and customizable digital accessory has a range of built-in skins and more can be downloaded via bluetooth or designed using an app.

There are different modes, which can be accessed by simply touching the watch. For battery-saving efficiency the watch is usually in idle mode. By pressing the screen gently with one finger, the watch switches between idle mode and normal mode for three seconds. Pressing the screen gently with two fingers causes the watch to switch to date mode for three seconds. With three fingers, the user can switch between the different skins installed on the watch.

The Touch Skin Watch, which is a concept design, is radio controlled so there is no need to adjust the time, and the gift box acts as a wireless charger. When the watch is placed on top, the magnetic lock in the wristband automatically snaps to the box and the watch starts charging.

Stealth/Idle Mode

For battery saving efficiency the watch is normally in stealth mode.

Normal Mode

Press the screen with one finger, and the watch will switch between idle mode and normal/night mode for three seconds.

Showing the Date

By pressing with two fingers, the watch switches to Date mode for three seconds.

Digital Skin Edition

By pressing the screen with three fingers you can switch between different skins installed in the watch.

GPS watches generally appeal to those who put navigation capabilities first, and aesthetics a distant second. But with its new fēnix, Garmin has managed to squeeze a backpack full of functionality into a subtle watch design.

In fact, Garmin claims the fēnix is its first watch to include similar GPS navigation functionality as its handheld units, letting users create and follow pre-planned routes, bookmark up to 1,000 unique waypoints, and store up to 10,000 tracking points. So if you head out on a random hike into the wilderness, you can easily retrace your steps and find your way back to camp.

The fēnix also boasts built-in ABC capabilities—which is short for altimeter, barometer, and compass. Combined with the GPS they’ll not only help keep you on the right path, but will also give you a rough idea of what the weather will be like in the coming hours so you can plan accordingly. You’ll also find Bluetooth and ANT wireless connectivity for communicating with a PC, other navigation devices, or an optional external temperature sensor. It’s of course completely waterproof to a depth of 50 meters, has enough battery life to provide GPS functionally for up to 50 hours, and can be yours this fall for $400.

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